A Brother's Wish
by ShiroTenshiRyu
Summary: After watching Naruto die right in front of him, Sasuke sets out to avenge his fallen brother and bring to justice the group responsible for his death, Akatsuki.


"Naruto!" the raven haired shinobi screamed from across the field. But it was too late. Kimimaro's ivory white blade slide out of Naruto's body, leaving a three inch puncture mark on both sides of his body as it slide out from between his ribs. Rage filled Sasuke as he saw his rival and best friend's blood dripping from the blade. Kimimaro looked to Sasuke and smiled. "He, he wasn't supposed to die you bastard! Orochimaru promised!"

"And you bought that." Kimimaro laughed at the naive Konoha shinobi who was supposed to be his new partner. "Truth is kid I don't work for that snake freak. I work for someone even more powerful. Now I have a witness to eliminate." Kimimaro attacked Sasuke who barely managed to dodge. Even though he was about to defect from Konoha and all his friends he had thought he was doing the right thing. But now that only rival and real friend he ever had gone he had every reason to stay and protect Konoha just like Naruto would have. The very people who promised him the power he needed to avenge his clan were now intent on killing him. He vowed right then to avenge Naruto. He dodged another blow of Kimimaro's bone blade. "You are good Uchiha scum. Too bad you weren't good enough to save your useless friend. You know you are a heartless bastard kid, you betrayed your village, you betrayed your friends, and for what? Power to avenge a clan you hardly knew. You are truly heartless kid." Sasuke snapped.

"You bastard" When Sasuke shifted into his Sharingan he could feel a powerful difference. He attacked with speed and power he didn't even know he had. He quickly went through the hand seals and he shoved his hand straight through the chest of Kimimaro, his hand crackling with blue sparks. "Now who's the heartless bastard?" He ripped his hand back out Kimimaro's still beating heart in his hand. "Now die!" Sasuke closed his hand with enough force to create a shock wave around him. Just as Kimimaro fell to the ground dead Sasuke fell alongside him and landed in front of a still breathing Naruto. "N-Naruto." Sasuke barely managed to gasp.

"Sasuke shut up." Naruto retorted. "I know we are enemies, but you have to promise me you will take him."

"Who are you talking about dobe?" Sasuke tried to inquire but Naruto was too far gone to even notice his friend's question.

"You'll see, and Sasuke," Naruto coughed blood coming up. "Protect Konoha." Those were the last words of Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke began to cry. He was losing the only friend he had ever had.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled aloud before a presence touched his mind and he went unconscious.

When he awoke the raven haired shinobi was barely able to move a muscle in his body. "Wh-where am I?" He asked weakly. He couldn't see anything, but could hear those around him clear as day. He felt his face and realized that they were covered in bandages. He could feel people moving around him "Where am I?" He asked again. He could hear feet shuffle, but no one was willing to say a word. "Come on damn it! Where am I?" Sasuke shouted before reeling back in pain.

"Sasuke calm down before you kill yourself." A voice said. Sasuke instantly recognized it as Kakashi. "You over exerted yourself killing Kimimaro. You need rest." Sasuke grew agitated with his sensei's words almost immediately.

"I don't have time to rest. I need to see Tsunade." Sasuke tried to get up to move, but ever muscle in his body writhed with pain. Everyone was stunned not by Sasuke's stubborn attitude, but by his respect towards the Hokage.

"Sasuke quit being so stubborn you idiot." Sakura demanded in a tone Sasuke was stunned at. "You nearly killed yourself. It's bad enough we lost Naruto we don't need to lose you too!" She yelled. Sasuke could hear the tears in her voice and decided to simply leave well enough alone. "You idiot, you could have died! Was it worth it Uchiha Sasuke? Was whatever stupid plan you had in mind worth it to lose your best friend?" At this point Sakura was screaming and crying all in one. Silence let the words sink in before she started again. "You always think you have all the answers, but you don't!"

"That's enough!" Kakashi barked. "We lost a comrade. Let this be a lesson to you both. No one is to blame here." He said placing a hand on her shoulder. "Sakura let's go okay. Give Sasuke some time to adjust." Sasuke waited for both sets of feet to leave the room before breathing a sigh of relief. It was several hours before another set of footsteps entered his room. He braced for the worst expecting Sakura to be back to berate him some more.

"S-Sasuke, I-I need a favor." A voice said. Sasuke knew her voice, but only because she too was a part of the Rookie Nine. "I-I'd like you to help me become stronger." Hinata said meekly.

"Why would someone like you want to get stronger? You hate fighting." Sasuke said his usual tone returning to his voice.

"I want to avenge Naruto." The answer was simple. But it was said with a confidence that Sasuke would normally never associate with Hinata.

"Vengeance is not a goal to pursue lightly Hyuuga Hinata." Sasuke said his voice a bit understanding. "But I suppose if you really want to avenge him, then when I'm out of here I can try to help you." Sasuke said reluctantly. "But if you hold me back for even a moment I will leave you behind." Hinata left without another word. Sasuke knew she would give up after the first few days. Hinata had always been a lover not a fighter. Still she wanted revenge and that Sasuke could sympathize with. _But who do I hunt down. Kimimaro said he wasn't working for Orochimaru's so who. _Sasuke contemplated it was he dozed off to sleep his pain meds kicking in again.

It was raining in Konoha that day. Naruto was buried not in a typical grave, but next to the previous Hokage's. All throughout the procession Sakura stood on one side of Sasuke while Hinata stood on the other. The other eight members of the eleven remaining Konoha shinobi who had participated in this year's Chuunin Exams and their sensei were there as well. No one else other then Iruka and the Sand Siblings had decided to show up, along with Jiraiya, the Konohamaru Corps, Teuchi and Ayame. Most of the village would forever see him as a monster, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki. But that wasn't how he died. He died a hero trying to save his friend in a bitter struggle that even Naruto knew he wouldn't win.

"Raining again..." Asuma muttered through his cigarette.

"The heavens are crying once again, it seems..." Kurenai added.

"Perhaps the heavens know what we don't." Gai said.

"Of course they know what we don't." Kakashi said softly. "This is what happens when you are a true shinobi, and no one was a better example of that than Naruto." A few tears escaped Kakashi. The rest of the Jounin said nothing for what was there to say. At the sight of Naruto's coffin Hinata lost it. She had been remaining strong, but how could she stay strong when the person responsible for her being the shinobi she was today be right there in front of her, dead to everyone.

"Naruto..." Hinata said barely audible to those around her. "Who will be the hero this village so desperately need?" Sasuke grabbed her hand having heard her words and whispered in her ears.

"We will be the heroes this village needs Hinata." Sasuke let her rest her head on his chest knowing the sheer amount of pain she must be feeling. He turned to Sakura who refused to say a single word to him. Every time she looked at him it was as if she was absolutely disgusted with him. One by one the others paid their respect to Naruto, until the team responsible for bringing him back stepped up. Shikamaru was the first to speak.

"You just had to go and be the goddamned hero, didn't you, you blonde bastard?" Shikamaru started after a silent sob. "Out of everyone on this team, it had to be you... always selfless, always putting your friends above yourself... well, look where that got you: a full funeral service with our entire class attending. Are you looking down on us now, Naruto? If you are, then you should see Sasuke... he's here, for you, you little idiot... your sacrifice led to the mission being a resounding success, all things considered... but you... your death was too much of a price for us to pay. A price that I hope we don't later regret... goodbye, my old friend." The Nara genius ended by placing a rose upon the gravestone and nodded to Neji, who stepped up next.

"Seems like not long ago we were barely more than rivals," Neji said slowly through the pain. "How am I supposed to beat you if you are dead you idiot?" Neji said, his fist weekly slamming into Naruto's headstone. "You had so much to teach us. You may have been an idiot, but you were the wisest of us all." Neji left without another word as Kiba stepped up.

"Well you always wanted to be in the spot light." Kiba said tears in his eyes. "Well you finally got what you wanted." Akamaru barked in grievance though through tears. "Rest in peace Naruto."

"Naruto," Jiraiya said softly. "Your parents would have been proud." Just then Sasuke and Jiraiya saw a visage of a blonde haired man standing next to a red haired beauty. Sasuke did a double take and saw that no one else saw them. "They are his parents." Jiraiya said softly to him. "Yes I see them too." Sasuke simply nodded accepting what he had seen. He looked up again and saw Gaara step up to the grave.

"Why, did it have to be Naruto?" He asked to the shinobi present. "You gave us a reason to live. You showed us all that there is light in even the darkest cells. You weren't just the one to save Konoha you were the one to save this world." A single tear fell from his face. "I ask you, how do we go on? Can no one tell me this?" Complete silence filled the graveyard. Sasuke let go of Hinata's hand and placed it on Gaara's shoulder as he stepped up to the grave.

"It's simple really." Sasuke said a tear in his eye, but a smile on his face. "We carry on Naruto's dreams, together." No one else had much to say the rest of the funeral passing in a complete blur. The rain slowly changed to snow as they lowered Naruto's body into the ground. Sakura, however, after that thought crossed her mind, finally broke down into a flood of tears, Naruto's face flashing before her. She wearily fell to her knees in front of the grave, her tears falling upon the roses that lay before her.

"N-Naruto..." She sobbed out, "Why... did it have to be you? You had so much more to accomplish! You were going to become Hokage! You were going to show this world that you can become the best despite the odds!" At this point, she was screaming her words, uncaring of the group at her back. "But your hopes and dreams were wrestled away from you in the cruelest of ways! YOU were taken from me in the cruelest of ways! I... I loved you, Naruto-kun! I fell in love with you and you with me! I loved you more than life itself!" The pinkette cried into the gravestone. "I... I'm broken... without you, Naruto-kun, I am broken... And worse..." She muttered in tears again. "You actually kept your promise and brought back Sasuke! I swear it Naruto you won't die in vain! I swear I will find the ones responsible for your death!" The sheer amount of shock on the faces of the funeral goers was enough to stop an army dead in its track. No one could react to what they had just heard as Sakura simple fell to the ground in defeat.

"Well now this is a surprise." A dark soulless voice said calling the attention of all the shinobi present.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Tsunade shouted angrily. The man chuckled.

"Ah Tsunade, is that really how you treat a comrade?" Orochimaru said with a hiss. "I simply walked." The entire party present tensed. "Relax I am not here to fight. I now know I cannot hope to take over this village and lead it the way I sought to so long ago. I come offering two pieces of information in return for amnesty and a reinstatement as a Konoha shinobi." He said calmly handing Tsunade a ring. "Proof that I've left for good my comrade." Tsunade took the ring and begrudgingly had two ANBU shinobi escort him out. "Oh and Tsunade another should be here right about now." Right than another Akatsuki member approached them and Sasuke tensed on site. Sasuke didn't even wait for words he simply preformed the hand seals and charged his brother with a Chidori. The robed man simply dodged it, grabbed Sasuke and restrained him.

"Sasuke we don't have time for this." Itachi looked Tsunade dead in the eyes. "We need to talk one on one." He tossed her his ring as well and made for the Hokage's mansion. Sasuke attempted to give chase, but Kakashi caught him.

"Sasuke stop it. You have a friend to mourn. Let go of your hatred and think of what Naruto would do!" With that Sasuke relaxed and let the day go on. Sasuke knew once this was over he would be summoned by Tsunade. He would have to tell them. He and Kurama had gone over it time and time again. He would explain that the Sharingan acted as a kind of innate seal. As it got stronger so to would the seal. Not that Kurama intended to take control. His respect for Naruto had grown immensely and he intended to avenge the one shinobi who he called friend. At this point all Sasuke could really think about was what had happened after he had passed out after hearing Naruto's last words

"Where am I?" Sasuke asked. He was standing a pitch black room with the sole exception of a single lit area. Within the lit area was a set of iron bars that Sasuke couldn't see past even with his Sharingan.

**Welcome Uchiha Sasuke. **A voice boomed from behind the bars. Sasuke took a few steps back shielding his eyes from the vast chakra mass moving towards him. **How long has it been since an Uchiha was in my presence? **The voice pondered its question while Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan a saw the Chakra mass take the form of a huge fox.

"Y-you're the Nine-Tailed Fox." Sasuke said his nerves now completely gone. "How am I talking to you I thought you were trapped inside Naruto?"

**I am, and I was, but as Naruto lied there dying he asked me to help you fulfill your goal. Normally I would ignore you humans, but Naruto was keeping me alive so I will ask you now Uchiha Sasuke what is your goal? **Sasuke thought long and hard on his answer.

"I want to uphold Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage. I will protect my village with all my might. I will have my revenge on the bastards responsible for the death of my best friend." Sasuke stated calmly.

**That is indeed admirable. You are sure this is what you want kid? **The fox asked. Sasuke shook his head. He knew what had to be done to avenge his friend and atone for his mistakes. **So be it. While I would normally rather die than serve an Uchiha, I had grown attached to Naruto even began to respect the Kit. **The demon sighed. **So be it, ****I, The Nine-Tailed Fox, henceforth known to you alone as Kurama, accept you Uchiha Sasuke as my fourth Jinchuuriki. **Sasuke bowed in respect before blacking out.

"You really expect me to believe you are here to protect Sasuke!" Tsunade yelled at her former team mate.

"I told you while I may not be that trustworthy on my own Itachi will back me up. The one who is responsible for this will want Sasuke. I can protect him. I can train him. And I can remove his curse seal." Tsunade ground her teeth together knowing this was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

"And you are willing to back him up Itachi?" Tsunade asked. "Though your word means little as well, you massacred your clan and left in cold blood why should I believe you?" Itachi looked Tsunade dead in the eyes stunning her not because she was being affected by them but because there was no trace of his Sharingan, he had deactivated them.

"Lady Fifth I was ordered seven years ago to infiltrate and discover the true purpose behind the criminal organization known as Akatsuki. During my time there I learned two very important things; one the man leading the Akatsuki has one true goal, the rebirth of the Ten-Tails. He will attempt to take control of this one way or another. The other piece of information is that the only one in this world who might stand even a sliver of a chance against him is Sasuke. You may not want to believe me right now, but I think a short time with Danzo will set my motives straight, but whether you believe me or not I have to make sure Sasuke is ready. When the time comes Tsunade we will have to do several things that you most likely won't like, but let me go ahead and tell you now that they are necessary." Itachi went ahead and started explaining it all to the blonde Senju who simply took it all in.

"I was wondering when you'd come to see me?" Itachi said sitting in the main room of the Uchiha mansion. Sasuke impressed himself by not flying into a blood rage and attack his brother and sworn enemy on site. Itachi sat cross legged at the table in the center. He was no longer in his Akatsuki attire, but the same cloths he had on as a child.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked in anger. Itachi's onyx eyes met with Sasuke's. Sasuke took in his brother's appearance. His jet-black hair was pulled back with a red elastic band in a low ponytail which extended to his shoulder blades. His clothes consisted of a black shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back with bandages around his ankles and black sandals. He also wore tan pants with a weapons pouch strapped to his side, and his katana from his ANBU days strapped to his back. He wore a necklace which had three silver rings with red gems inside them. Most noticeable though was his Hitai-ate was no longer slashed across, but mended and whole again.

"I'm waiting of course. I knew I'd find you here." Itachi sipped at his tea feeling no real emotion of any sort. "There are questions you have I'm sure. Come sit down my brother we have a lot to discuss." Itachi offered a cup of tea to Sasuke.

"You... You monster!" Sasuke shouted swatting the cup away. "You murdered our clan and you expect me to sit there and listen to some bullshit lie you've come up with about how you murdered my clan!" Sasuke put emphasis on the word my, making it clear that Sasuke had disowned him. Itachi stared at Sasuke intently before taking a deep breath.

"Because I have these" Itachi laid down an unopened file in front of Sasuke. "Our clan was planning a coup d'état. They were all planning to start a war with Konoha that would have ended in the elimination of us all. I was ordered to by Danzo and it was an order that saved the life of the person most precious to me. I saved the life of my little brother." The words struck Sasuke in the chest and what's worse was the documents showed his brother wasn't lying. "I did what had to be done Sasuke, and now we have a chance to restore the clan's name and restore our brotherhood." Itachi stood up from the table and moved across the room embracing him in a hug. With that single action Sasuke seemed to accept all of his brother's choices and forgave him. Tears streamed down his face at as the truth came to light.

"Nii-san..." Sasuke looked up to his brother and Itachi as if understanding poked Sasuke in the forehead.

"Otouto, go you have a meeting to keep." Sasuke smiled at his older brother and nodded. Finally he understood why his life had been the way it had. He had his family back, and even though Naruto was dead, he would stay and protect Konoha in his honor. That was the dying wish of his brother Uzumaki Naruto. But first he had a meeting to attend to.

Sasuke took a deep breath before he stepped into the office of the Hokage. "You summoned me Tsunade?"

"Yes yes come in Sasuke." Tsunade said. She worked furiously to complete the paper work before her. "I know you've been holding out on us. I haven't been pushing since I knew you were dealing with the loss of a comrade, but now I need the truth." Tsunade was blunt. Not like the Sandaime Hokage had been. Sasuke took another breathe and began.

"For starters my Sharingan has evolved. It's part of why I was unconscious when you found me." Tsunade nodded in acknowledgement. "The other thing is probably what you really want to know. I've inherited the Nine-Tailed Fox." Sasuke couldn't tell if the look on her face was horror or relief. "Naruto asked me to take him in and keep him safe. He didn't say what from, but he made it clear the Bijuu is mine." Tsunade just sat there speechless. After several moments of silence she finally spoke.

"So how have you been keeping it under control? She asked.

"My eyes have been acting as a natural seal to keep him under control." Sasuke said coolly.

"I see. Still we will need to add a seal of our own just to be safe. I've also decided that you need more training. People are going to come after you Sasuke and you need to be able to protect yourself. I'm going to have you put in to training for the ANBU program."

"If I might be so bold I would like to ask that Hyuuga Hinata and Haruno Sakura be put on the training as well. I'll need a team and there are no two Shinobi I'd trust more."

"Fine I can agree to this. But until you three are ready to join you will remain on your normal squads and I will assign a new member to your team to fill the empty slot."

"Lady Hokage, if I may be so bold, I'd also like to ask for my older brother and I to be on the same ANBU squad. I'll need help if I'm to master this new form of my Sharingan."

"That's a sensible request coming from you Sasuke. What happened to you?"

Sasuke looked at her and smiled throwing her completely off her game. "When I inherited The Nine Tails, he told me about Naruto's childhood. How he felt abandoned and alone, yet he somehow kept pushing forward. If he can do it then so can I. Besides Naruto found power in friendship. Maybe he was on to something." The two nodded in agreement and Tsunade waved Sasuke out of the office returning to her work.

"Is this really what you three want?" Kakashi asked the three shinobi standing before him, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata.

"Hai!" The said together.

"Then as of today you begin training under Anko and I to become ANBU shinobi." Sasuke knew it would be some time before he was ready to hunt down Naruto's killers, but he and Kurama would bide their time in the background.

**(Six Months Later)**

Itachi and Orochimaru's leave from Akatsuki seemed to derail any immediate plans. With their information on the inner plans of Akatsuki Tsunade was forced to put a protection detail on Sasuke until he finished his ANBU training. Sasuke didn't mind so much. He spent all his off time mastering his Chidori with Kakashi and his sword skills with Itachi using a special blade he had forged. He'd promised Tsunade that he'd take it easy on the usage of his Mangekyō until Itachi had decided he was ready to know all of the secrets of the Sharingan. All of the Konoha Eleven had been promoted to the rank of Chuunin, and Naruto had been promoted posthumously to the rank of Jounin for his valor and commitment to his comrades and village even in death. Since his promotion to Chuunin, Sasuke had spent a lot of time in the field. Naruto's position had been filled by Menma, an ex-member of Root who Danzo had left for dead, had been rescued by Team Ten from rouge Mist Shinobi. He possessed a lot of Naruto's same spark and gusto, but wasn't quiet as reckless as their former comrade. The similarities seemed to draw in Sakura who spent all of her free time with Menma.

"Sasuke!" A voice brought Sasuke back to reality. His head slammed upward in time for Sasuke to bring up his blade and block a fist from an enemy Iwa Shinobi. A quick movement from Sasuke brought the blade through the rib of the enemy and he moved across the field in a blur sheathing his blade and forming all the hand seals necessary to create the Chidori. He was about halfway across the field when the enemy he was charging at flickered to Sakura and held her, a Kunai to her throat.

"Make another move and this worthless bitch is gonna die." Sasuke stopped and say an almost untraceable movement behind Sakura and the enemy shinobi. He couldn't help, but snicker.

"I'll bet this mission's payout, that Menma saves you again Sakura." The Iwa Shinobi was completely bewildered by the calmness of Sasuke as he turned his back and casually walked over to the other shinobi he'd killed moments before searching the corpse for the information that had prompted this mission.

"Fine I guess this usele..." The shinobi never finished his sentence. Sakura nailed the shinobi in the groin. He doubled over in pain and stepped back a few feet. "You bitch. I'm gonna make you pay!" Sakura saw a blur of movement that she knew had prompted Sasuke's earlier comment. She stood calmly as the Iwa Shinobi charged her. He heard a single word right as he was mere steps from Sakura.

"Rasengan" Menma yelled slamming the swirling ball of Chakra into the Iwa Shinobi. The Rasengan made contact with the front side of the enemy's brain and caused his face to almost completely evaporate into thin air. The shinobi standing in front of her wore a long all black duster, under which was a standard green Konoha Chuunin Flak Jacket. Under the Flak jacket was a short-sleeved black combat shirt that a red stripe going down both of the sleeves and steel mesh armor piece as his undershirt, which its sleeves extended to just above the wrist. Black cargo pants that had steel plates reinforcing the knees and a red line going down the right leg adorned his lower half, as well as black steel toed boots, in which the hems of his pants were tucked into. Black Jounin-style gloves covered his hands, but left his fingertips bare. "Your hero is here, my beautiful blossom." Sakura blushed at Menma's words.

Sakura had on a tight red sleeveless shirt that had the Haruno clan crest emblazoned on the back, hanging from her neck was the Shodai's Necklace, in which she got from Tsunade as a memento from Naruto, as well as his jacket. She also wore pants similar to Menma's, though without the knee plates and an orange stripe going down the same leg instead of a red one.

Sasuke's high collared black coat with an Uchiha crest blew gently in the breeze, revealing the black sleeveless shirt underneath. Reaching into one of the pockets on his dark olive cargo pants and he carefully used a special tool to pry open the scroll. He instinctively grabbed his silver Uchiha crest hanging around his neck and calmed at the touch of it. He shuffled uneasily his sandals causing unwanted noise. "Guys check this out." Sasuke held up a scroll that had been on the body of the shinobi he'd killed. "This was a secret sure worth keeping." Kakashi appeared beside his students and looked over Sasuke's shoulder reading the scroll. "Sensei if this is what I think it is..."

"If it's what you think it is Sasuke, then we only have a few months before all hell breaks loose." Kakashi sighed heavily. "Come on let's get home. The Hokage is going to want to see this.

"So that's Menma?" Tsunade asked softly as the Chuunin members of Team Seven left the office.

"He's a lot like his brother isn't he, though a bit more disciplined. He seems to have taken a liking to Sakura as well which is good for her. She's made progress in leaps in bounds in training though something was off today. Still it's for the best we had Menma out there." Kakashi sighed. "So when are you going to tell him about his parents?" Kakashi asked Tsunade who was pacing back and forth. The intelligence they'd brought back from the field was enough to send anyone into a panic. The fact that Tsunade was only pacing was proof she was right for the title of Hokage. Kakashi had been unsure of having Menma on Team Seven. He was afraid that the other two might connect the dots and realize Menma is Naruto's twin. Thankfully Sakura was so enamored by Menma that she would never figure it out, and Sasuke was glad to have someone who was so willing to help him get stronger, that he'd probably never see it either. Only a few people knew the truth about Menma. Kakashi, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, were the only ones who knew about his parentage.

"Honestly Kakashi," Tsunade sighed heavily. "I think we'll tell him when he graduates from ANBU. At that point he'll have a right to know. Until then it's strictly between us, now about this information you brought back from the field."

"I think I can be of some help there Tsunade." As if the mere thought of him brought him forth, Jiraiya was perched on the balcony of the Hokage's Mansion. "The information it wouldn't happen to be a name would it?" Tsunade nodded never really wondering how Jiraiya knew the things he ought not to. "Well it's a fake. The name on that scroll has been going around years. It's just the Akatsuki trying to strike fear into whoever they can. What truly worries me is the information Itachi and Orochimaru brought us. The idea of the nine Jinchuuriki being under attack if unsettling, they need to be protected."

"We've tried telling the other Kages, but Gaara was the only one who took our word for it. The others all stubbornly believe it's a ruse to distract them. There is nothing we can do except train and protect Sasuke now." The anger in Tsunade's voice was palpable. "Call in Itachi and Orochimaru. We'll need all the information we can get on the individual members of Akatsuki."

On the balcony a pair of eyes blinked on the wall of the building listening to the conversation. The eyes acted as though they were smiling. They had done their job. Now it knew for sure the villages would be unprepared when its master returned. "Soon the Uchiha King shall return and there is naught these puny mortals can do." The eyes silently laughed as it sunk into the building and left.


End file.
